Volume 1 Chapter 2 Part 1
Chapter 2: An Imperial Majesty's Punch
Volume 1 Chapter 2 Part 1
Chapter 2: An Imperial Majesty's Punch
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can grab the PDF here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I return the manga that I’d finished reading to the green rucksack by my feet.
On the name tag sewed to the side of the rucksack is a name written in wobbly handwriting.
『Year 2 Class 3 Kanou Shinichi』
The sky is refreshingly clear.
The location that I’m at is a corner in a nature park. It’s very big. For small-bodied primary school kids with a limited area of activity, the place seems like a boundless land where the greenery extends, without end, to everywhere and anywhere.
The corner that I’m at is in the shade under the foliage reaching out from a large tree.
I’m sitting on a bench made of stone that seems like a natural rock that had been sculpted into its present shape. The figures of my classmates are nowhere near me. Everyone seems to be playing baseball or dodgeball or whatever, but me——I’m the only one who’s not joining in, but instead reading the manga that I’d brought from home.
Anyone looking on might only see a gloomy, introverted kid.
I’ve been an otaku ever since the first few years of primary school.
“Oi, Kanou.”
Having been called, I raise my face.
In front of my eyes, a woman wearing a white tracksuit is standing with a resigned look on her face.
She is the teacher in charge of my class. Apparently, she used to be a dignified and imposing beauty, but now that she’s in the latter half of her forties, there are obvious wrinkles near the corners of her eyes. With a spirited and mannish personality, she is well-known throughout our school as a scary teacher, who for example would yell loudly at those she finds running in the hallways.
“I’m going to be scolded!” is what I thought.
I quickly hide the manga tank behind my back in a fluster, but——of course, that action was way too late.
Sensei speaks to me with a sigh mixed in with her words.
“......I thought that I haven’t been seeing you around, but it turns out that you were reading a book in a place like this, huh.”
“............”
I hung my head with heavy feelings.
In any case, her next words will be any one from among “Don’t be reading manga after coming all the way here,” “This is why you’ll become an idiot,” or “Go play with your friends.” The other teachers have said these things to me so many times already. That’s why this teacher will definitely also say the same things.
As I bite my lips while staying silent——Sensei speaks to me in a slightly resigned tone.
“If you stay too far away from everyone else, you won’t make it in time when we have to go back. If you want to read, might as well do it someplace close to the gathering point.”
“——Eh?”
I blink a few times and look up at Sensei.
“Umm......you’re not going to confiscate my book?”
Sensei raises one of her relatively thick eyebrows (for a woman), and smiles wryly.
“Of course, if this was the classroom, and we’re in mathematics or Japanese language class, then I would. But right now, we’re on an outing, and this is the free time of the outing.”
“............”
“Kanou. What do you think is the purpose of class outings?”
“They are events to promote teamwork and nurture the spirit of cooperation.”
I give her an immediate reply.
It is what the other teachers have told me so many times during the previous outings that I’ve grown calluses on my ears.
(T/N: The author uses a Japanese metaphor here that translates as “to be told or made to hear something so often that you (metaphorically) get calluses on your ears.”)
Despite that——
“That goal is not wrong, of course. However, they are also occasions to study the things that are not covered in the normal classes at school.”
“‘Not covered’......?”
“Addition and multiplication. How to read and write kanji. Life cannot be made fulfilling with just those alone.”
“‘Fulfilling’......?”
With my mind unable to follow such a deep concept, I tilt my head in puzzlement.
After being born, I haven’t lived even ten years——for a child that hasn’t yet fully understood the structure of society, the word “life” doesn’t quite feel real. For a child who has led a carefree life under the protection of his parents, the concept of “fulfillment” feels like something to be taken for granted, and it is a challenge to tangibly imagine a situation without it.
“Fumu......”
After thinking for a while, Sensei asks me a question.
“What is it about manga that you like, Kanou?”
“Umm......I like that the protagonist stands up to the evil guys and wins.”
“Is that easy to do?”
I shake my head.
In order to defeat the bad guys, the protagonists have to work hard and work out sure-kill techniques, and they have to fight battles that they have no hopes of victory for, and they stand up again and again even when beaten so badly.
“That’s right, isn’t it.”
Sensei nods.
“Even manga are books. It means that if you read them properly, there are things that they can teach you too.”
“......Even manga......are books......”
Speaking of which, Father and Mother have also said something similar.
Father and Mother’s bookshelves are tightly packed with manga and light novels, and I often borrow several volumes at a time from there to read. However, the way Father and Mother put it, these are “necessary materials for our jobs,” so in my eyes, they are “things that adults use for their jobs,” and never have I considered them as “things from which children can learn lessons from.”
“This is......”
Feeling like scales have fallen from my eyes, I take a long, hard look at the front cover of my manga.
“My......textbook?”
“Or at least something that has the potential of being a textbook. It all depends on you, though.”
The smile on the face of the Sensei who told me this——even to this day, I still vividly remember it.
♥♦♣♠
I feel my consciousness gradually stirring.
As I slightly open my eyelids, a white light slips in between the crack. I hear the twitter of birds from somewhere, and air that seems to be saying “hey, it’s morning” is floating around. In other words, it is exactly an “asa-chun.”
(T/N: Asa-chun is a technique used in anime and manga to signify the passing of a night (oftentimes to imply that sex has occurred in the previous night). Asa means ‘morning,’ and chun is the Japanese onomatopoeia for how sparrows chirp. Because sexual acts cannot be directly depicted due to Japanese laws, they are common represented as a screen fadeout followed by an asa-chun.)
“Nn......”
For now, I continue blinking a few more times.
In order to clear away the drowsiness that seems to be clinging to my eyeballs, I get up from my bed.
I don’t know how else to put this, but today’s waking up feels really good. Back during my home security guard days, my waking hours had been quite unstable, which caused the border between sleeping and waking up to feel quite blurred. As a result, whenever I woke up, I would still be quite out of it for a while. Yesterday, due to being tired after the numerous surprises, I was apparently able to sleep deeply and peacefully, such that I have now woken up with a clear mind.
In the middle of such thoughts——
“——Good morning, Danna-sama.”
I hear a voice as cute as the ringing of a bell from the other side of my door.
“May I come in?”
“Ah——give me a moment.”
I hurriedly pat my head to make sure that I don’t have any strange bed hair standing up.
For now, I think I’m fine. My sleepwear is also fine. My morning physiological phenomenon is——well, I’m covered with the bedsheets so it should also be fine.
“It’s fine now.”
“Please excuse me.”
The person who comes into my room in response to the reply that I’d thrown across the door is Miusel.
The maid girl with elf ears. On top of which, she has a slightly clumsy streak.
She is a bishoujo worthy of the question “What is with all those traits?” When someone like that, who normally only appears in imaginations and games, turns out to be so close to me in real life, her extravagant character trait lineup makes me really nervous.
No. Even leaving aside all that talk about traits and whatnot, she really is cute.
Her hair, which is split and tied up on both sides of her head, is flaxen in color. Her skin is as smooth and white as porcelain, while her eyes are like blue jewels with a high degree of translucence. Her soft and full lips glisten faintly with the color of sakura petals. Sheer perfection.
Her facial structure is neat, trim, and sweetly cute——not in a showy way, but in a modest and reserved way. Her cuteness is such that just by looking at her, I feel like I’m being healed.
However.
I didn’t notice this yesterday, with all that was happening, but——though the body underneath her maid costume is indeed slim, I can now tell, even over her clothes, that her body shape has curves and bounces in all the right places. She is not voluptuous in an aggressively erotic sort of way, but how do I put it, her figure has this simple feeling that makes me want to hug her.
Aahh mou. This girl is seriously cute!
I am so moe-ed by Miusel that I can barely hold myself back from hugging my pillow and rolling back and forth right here and now. Regardless of whether she is or is not aware of these feelings of mine——well, most likely it’s not even passed her mind——Miusel shows a faint smile on her face while speaking up.
(T/N: Apparently, ‘moe’ is now also a verb.)
“I have finished the preparations for breakfast.”
Oou. “I have finished preparations for breakfast.”! A maid-san said that! To me!
I nearly turned towards overmorrow to release a full-chested roar.
(T/N: ‘Overmorrow’ sounds cooler than ‘the day after tomorrow.’)
When it comes to maids, this line is the most standard out of all standards. I’ve always imagined this situation enviably, but——as someone who’s actually living out this situation, it’s actually quite embarrassing.
“I’m sorry for always troubling you so.”
I was so flustered that I gave a completely irrelevant answer.
Of course, as a resident of this world, there’s no way that Miusel would know to reply with “Papan, we promised not to talk about that,” so instead, she’s just looking blankly at me with her head tilted.
(T/N: The reference here is from a variety show called “Shabondama Holiday” (Soap Bubble Holiday) that aired from 1961 to 1972. This dialogue (there are a few more lines) is like a staple for the show, and most episodes start with some variety of it. You probably won’t look it up anyways, so that’s all you need to know. Moving on!)
“‘Always’?”
“Oh, umm, sorry, I just had to.”
“‘Had to’?”
“Well, it’s like, a monologue or, oh yea, it’s something like a greeting in my country.”
I said something random to gloss it over.
It seems like Miusel somehow managed to swallow that. She resumes making her way towards the windows, and opens the curtains. While letting in more and more morning light into the room, she turns towards me and asks a question.
“Will you partake here? Or perhaps in the dining room instead?”
“Eh? Here? You mean, right here?”
“If you wish so, I shall carry it here......”
“Hmm. No, I’ll go to the dining room.”
I’ve already quit my job as a home security guard, so let’s not do things like having meals in bed. More like, I simply want to eat breakfast together with Miusel. I can’t exactly do that and say “let’s eat together here.”
I get off the bed and start unbuttoning my nightclothes——
“............”
Then I freeze.
It is because Miusel has come to my side and placed a hand on my shirt, as if it is the most natural thing to do.
“Umm......”
“Yes?”
“What are you doing?”
“Eh......?”
Her large eyes blink a few times in surprise, and she tilts her head.
“What do you......mean? Have I perhaps made some sort of blunder?”
A fearful look quickly comes over her face.
“No, that’s not it. I am going to change now.”
“Yes.”
“......Going to change.”
“Yes......?”
Miusel gazes at me with a troubled expression.
No. I’m going to change now, so I want you to go out——
“I am going to change. What are you going to do?”
“I am to help Danna-sama with changing——”
“Please don’t!”
I involuntarily let out a voice that bordered on a shriek.
I only have on a single pair of underwear underneath my nightclothes. Furthermore, that bodily phenomenon is still going strong, so if I take off my nightclothes——it is going to get very, very embarrassing for me.
“I-I’m terribly sorry?!”
With a start, Miusel is now drawing her trembling body back.
Looking like as if she had made some terrible mistake in that moment, she topples over in what seems to me an exaggerated manner.
“Hyau?!”
“Are you alright?”
In a fluster, I quickly move towards Miusel and take her hand to help her up.
“I, I’m fine——s-, sorry.”
With nothing but shame on her face, she quickly draws her hand back.
Uu. I’m a bit hurt. She didn’t have to draw back so quickly, as if she was about to touch something really dirty.
“I’m truly, terribly sorry. Without thinking it through, I carelessly tried to do something disrespectful......for someone like me to directly touch Danna-sama’s body......”
“Eh......?”
Due to hearing a response completely beyond my expectations, I let a silly voice slip through my lips.
What is this girl saying......?
“No. It’s fine to touch me, like accidentally touching our fingertips together to trigger some doki doki, which would lead to a flag——that is NOT what I meant to say.”
I came to my senses after going that far.
In summary, Miusel had interpreted my sudden shout of “Please don’t!” as if touching me is a transgression in and of itself——and thus she thought that I hated being touched by her. That’s why even when I took her hand to help her up, it became “I touched Danna-sama again, even though he hates it” inside her mind.
In the first place, I am a foreigner the likes of which she has never seen before——on top of which, the values of the country called Japan are almost completely unknown. She could not determine my exact “social status,” and therefore, when I rebuffed her efforts at helping me change, she came under the impression that I am a noble of such high class that she is not allowed to touch me.
Which is all complete rubbish, of course.
Knowing that I now have a misunderstanding to clear up, I sigh before talking to her.
“You see, Miusel.”
“Yes, Danna-sama.”
Probably expecting to be yelled at, Miusel looks like she’s preparing to endure something.
“I don’t know what is considered “normal” in your country. But in my country, there is no one who would get angry just from being touched a little.”
Well, there might be girls who would hate being touched by an otaku like me. But that will just complicate the conversation, so I choose not to mention it. I explain to her that for example, a situation where a maid merely brushes against her master and gets berated for “insolence”——that kind of situation won’t occur in my world, as such extreme differences in social status do not exist.
“Is......Is that how it truly is......?”
“Indeed it is. That’s why, don’t worry about it anymore.”
“But then......”
“Which is why......”
I continue speaking, but now with a frown on my face.
“That’s, when I told you to stop, with helping me change I mean, that’s, in my country, we don’t have girls help out with that, because it’s embarrassing.”
“......Yes?”
Miusel’s eyes are round and dazed.
It seems like she’s not quite comprehending what I’m trying to say——
“OK, let me ask you instead, then. What would you do if I’m the one who offers to help you change?”
“Ho-How could someone of such high stature deign to help someone as lowly as myself?!”
In a fluster, Miusel is furiously shaking her head.
“No, that’s not what I mean. What if, for the sake of argument, the two of us are of the same position and social status. Won’t it be embarrassing for a boy to help you with changing your clothes? He’ll see you wearing nothing but your underwear, you know?”
“That’s......”
Gazing at me with upturned eyes, slowly her cheeks turn faintly red and she nods.
Oh man, even when she’s so nervous, she’s still so exceptionally cute.
“It’s the same as that. At any rate, changing is something that I can do myself, so you can head to the dining room first, Miusel.”
“Yes......I understand.”
Finally feeling reassured, Miusel throws me a smile before nodding and leaving the room.
“......This might turn out a bigger mess than I had expected.”
This sort of thing will most likely arise again. While considering all the various kinds of cultural clashes that will occur, all I can do is sigh.
♥♦♣♠
After finishing changing, I walk down the hallway in the mansion that leads to the dining room.
Although this is a parallel world, its inhabitants are human just like us, so the structure of their basic buildings are the same. Under the common pursuit of convenience, it is only natural that both sides have ended up quite similar. This is the so-called ‘parallel evolution’——the phenomenon where two places that start off with similar conditions would develop in very similar ways.
Even this hallway that I’m walking through has a facade that is completely giving off a “Western mansion” feel.
Its width is enough for two adults to pass by each other with both hands spread out. There are windows positioned at set distances from each other, and the floor is covered by wooden tiles fitted together in complex geometrical designs.
By the way, what I’m currently wearing is apparently the standard clothing for this Eldant Empire. Most likely also affected by parallel evolution, this set of clothes is composed of the shirt and pants combination that I’m so familiar with. However, because I’m being treated as a noble, ornamentation like elaborate embroidery have been added to places like the collar and cuffs.
“But still, seriously, so cute.”
I’m talking about Miusel.
For good or for bad, my preferences are pretty wide. Loli characters and warm onee-san characters with glasses and large breasts like Minori-san are a given, but on top of those, miko-san, female nurse, and a large variety of others——with the exception of imouto characters, I can be moe-ed by most character traits that exist.
However, all things considered, I am weakest against balanced characters without any major weak spots, such as a cute maid-san like Miusel. Especially the trim yet touchingly lovely aura that she emanates is what has completely grabbed hold of my heart.
Maid, elf, and dojikko.
Because such a girl is trying so bravely to serve me, there’s no way I can sit still. I’m so happy that I cannot calm down at all.
Partly due to this......when I came back to myself, I realized that I had wandered into a weird place.
This place looks like a shed or storage place of some sort, and despite the fact that it is still morning, the interior of this place is quite dim. There are a few windows near the ceiling for ventilation, but there are no other places for sunlight to come in. Limiting exposure to sunlight to prevent things from being negatively affected by ultraviolet rays or temperature change is the concept behind storage areas like warehouses. Despite knowing that, however, it is as if the sun has not yet risen on this place alone——frankly speaking, it’s giving me the creeps.
Feeling something cool along my back, I try to turn back and retrace my steps.
At that moment......
“......?!”
Something deep inside the room is wriggling around with a rustling sound, causing me to unconsciously freeze in my tracks.
Right after that, there’s an intermittent petari, petari sound (T/N: a slapping or flopping sound), like something is clinging to something, then being peeled off. Clinging, then peeling. It’s similar to the sound of someone walking with bare feet, but that does not explain why I’m also hearing what sounds like hard claws scratching the ground.
Speaking of which, there used to be this bio and hazard horror game that I used to play. What I’m feeling right now is exactly what I felt back when I was attacked by dog zombies. Their claws scratched the floor intermittently with tsuccha, tsuccha sounds, and they slowly grew in size when they got close——I remember being extremely scared.
Sound is something that is more than enough to instill fear by itself.
This is especially true in a place like this, where the darkness severely limits vision.
“This place is......”
Furthermore, this is a parallel world.
It’s a world where dragons and elves naturally exist. It wouldn’t be strange at all for zombies to also exist.
With such thoughts in my head, I am shaking by myself——the very next moment.
“——Oh.”
A grotesque face suddenly appears from the shadows.
It is a grim-looking head with a long snout. Its mouth, which runs sideways, looks capable of swallowing small children whole. The tightly packed scales covering its skin are not emanating any body heat. An inhuman-looking pupil, with what seems to be a knife cut running through it, moves in a mechanical way before finally settling on me.
“UWAAAAAAAAAAAAA?!”
Due to sheer terror, I let out a scream and raise my hands overhead.
I take my fists to the side of the head—the part that is probably its cheek—with full intention of crushing it, but all I get is a dull feedback. A few seconds after I punched the scale-covered target, I notice pain and a burning sensation on the surface of my fists. Wait a second, what on earth could I hope to achieve with my bare hands against such a monster?!
On the internet, I’ve read stories about employees of haunted houses being suddenly assaulted by customers that they’ve scared. Never have I thought that I, too, would one day hit someone else out of reflex. There’s really no telling what humans can do when pressed into a corner.
Either way, I didn’t choose the option to run away.
It’s too late for any regrets. I have a feeling that if I carelessly expose my back, I’ll get my head bitten straight off, so I can’t run away. If my current situation is an RPG and I select the “Run away” command, I’ll definitely get the “However, your path has been cut off! You cannot run away.” message.
Which leaves fighting as the only option.
“WAAAAAAAAAAAAA——!!”
Still in a confused state, I hit my opponent’s face once more.
It hurts. It hurts a lot. In the first place, I’ve never trained my fists, and the other side is a grim, scale-covered reptile, so of course I’m the one who’ll be hurting myself. But if I can successfully scare my opponent, there might be a window of opportunity for me to slip away........................Wait a second.
Wait a freaking second.
Reptilian face?
The moment after I threw my third punch, I abruptly realize it.
In the amount of time that it took me, whose reflexes aren’t that good, to land three punches......the other side did not indicate any intention of moving. Neither is it counterattacking nor is it trying to run away. It’s just standing where it is.
“............Eh?”
I unconsciously tilt my head.
In response, the strange head also tilts, then speaks to me in a dubious voice.
“Are you alright?”
“......Eh?”
“If you wish to hit me, then please use this.”
With both scale-covered hands, the other side offers me some sort of stick. Just like a “Wooden Stick” that would appear in RPG games as a new character’s very first equipment, this stick also has cloth wrapped around the part that’s supposed to be gripped.
“That side was used to open holes in the flowerbed to plant bulbs only just now. Your hands will get dirty if you hold the stick there, so please hold it from this end.”
“Aah. Thank you for your thoughtful guidance——okay, that is NOT what I was supposed to say.”
After obediently accepting that stick that was being offered to me, I shake my head furiously.
This is no specter nor monster of any sort——it is this mansion’s manservant. He is a lizardman named Blük, if I remember correctly. He had been introduced yesterday, but because we’re in a dark place and our eyes suddenly met, I couldn’t help but be afraid——more like, I let a misunderstanding get to my head.
“S-......Sorry!”
Flustered, I quickly apologized.
“I couldn’t help punching you because of the surprise, but are you hurt anywhere?”
“No. As you can see, I’m covered with scales.”
His manner is as nonchalant as his words.
At the very least, it doesn’t seem like he’s bleeding from anywhere, and neither is there swelling anywhere. As for whether there is any internal bleeding due to the scales, I cannot tell at all.
“Rather than that, Danna-sama’s hand......”
“Eh? Uwah?!”
When he said that, I looked at my own hand......blood is oozing out from cuts here and there.
In the first place, I have no experience at all with barehanded martial arts. Having thrown punches packed with all my strength, the result is that I ended up hurting my own hand instead. The cuts are most likely because of the scales.
Speaking of which, I’ve read that it’s possible for the bones inside a person’s finger to be broken if a punch is thrown with the fist held in an improper way. I should probably be glad that all I got were mere cuts.
However, Blük is the one I don’t understand.
Exactly what is he thinking? Just because he’s employed, to quietly allow himself to be punched——after which, to then hand over a club while saying “If you wish to hit me, then please use this.” My reason cannot follow at all.
“——Danna-sama?”
Hearing a sudden short scream, I turn around.
Standing there in shock with hand pressed to mouth——standing there is Miusel with an ashen face.
The direction of her gaze is towards my right hand. The expression on her face draws me to follow her gaze. That hand is holding a club as if to say “this is a blunt weapon” and “I hit him with this.” I am currently standing right in front of Blük. I wonder how my current figure is being reflected in her eyes——
“Thi-This is not what it looks like!”
I throw away the wooden stick, and speak up in a flustered way.
“Miusel......This is some sort of misunderstanding!”
Although the truth is that I really did hit him, and there is no misunderstanding at all.
However, because everything happened so suddenly, it can be explained as legitimate self-defense——or maybe not, but I really didn’t do it with any malice. In any event, even including my feeble attempts at an excuse on the spot, ten out of ten people who witness this scene by itself would think that I had been hitting Blük.
Despite that......
“Danna-sama! Your hand is bleeding!”
“......Eh?”
Running over with small steps, with an appalled look on her face, what Miusel grabs——is my hand.
Taking out a white handkerchief from one of her skirt pockets, Miusel presses it against the wounds on my hand. After that, in a completely flustered state of mind——her gaze roams left and right as if she’s looking for help, then she speaks as if she’s finally come to a realization.
“The medicine box is——no, we must contact the doctor-sama at a medical treatment center!”
“No, wait, there’s no need to go that far......”
She’s so agitated that it’s making me feel apologetic.
“More like——calm down, Miusel. These cuts aren’t very severe.”
“B-......But......”
“More like......both of you are acting strange!”
I take a step back to hold both Miusel and Blük in my line of sight.
“Strange? How so?”
“I, I’m terribly sorry. I don’t really understand, but I’m really sorry......”
Blük tilts his head, and a frightened expression comes over Miusel’s face, as if she is expecting to be yelled at.
“No, I mean——I was the one who suddenly punched Blük, right? Even if it didn’t hurt, quietly letting himself be beaten is strange. As for Miusel, rather than me, shouldn’t you be worrying about Blük first?”
No matter how anyone puts it, I’m the one who’s supposed to be reproached.
Despite that......both of them exchange blank glances with each other.
The way they are acting is as if they cannot understand what I’m saying.
What is with these reactions?
“As I’m saying......Blük didn’t do anything wrong, right? But I still punched him, so I’m the one who should be reproached, and my injuries are merely what I deserve.”
“However, Danna-sama.”
Blük speaks in a dubious voice——well, he’s a lizardman, so I cannot read his facial expression at all.
“Noble-sama hitting demi-humans is normal, though?”
“......Hah?”
I unconsciously let slip an idiotic sound.
Indeed, I had heard from Matoba-san and co. that due to my status as a state guest of the Eldant Empire, I am being treated as a noble. But......
“‘Normal’? Even without any reason?”
“Because they are noble-sama.”
So said Blük.
The conversation still seems a bit disjointed, but——in summary.
In the Eldant Empire, difference in social status is absolute, and due to that, nobles have authority over the life and death of their servants. In short, the servants are slaves——no, this treatment is as if they are mere livestock.
Therefore, nobles hitting demi-human servants for no reason whatsoever is an everyday occurrence.
Just like how there are no humans raging against every single natural phenomenon like typhoons or earthquakes or floods, being hit by a noble is just “something that happens” for them.
......Oi oi oi oi?!
“Doesn’t it upset you?”
“Upset us?”
“That’s......Don’t you feel like you want to hit back, or something like that?”
I asked timidly.
If he says “Oh I see, you’re right!” and hits me back now, that is going to be scary.
“Demi-humans cannot oppose human-sama, so......”
The one who answered so was Miusel.
“What do you mean?”
I drew my eyebrows together and asked her to elaborate.
After looking deep in thought for a short period of time, Miusel opens her mouth.
“We do not know how things are in the country where Danna-sama lives, but......in this country, races are ranked in terms of superiority.”
“‘Superiority’......”
I muttered to myself in a daze.
After that——what I heard from Miusel, were words that I found extremely offensive.
In this world, the established governing system places humans at the very top, and all demi-humans below that.
On the individual level, “humans” are inferior in terms of physical strength, magical ability, and a variety of other standards.
However......elves have strong magical ability, but their fertility is low.
Lizardmen have robust bodies, but their mana pool is almost zero, on top of which their disposition as reptiles causes their strength to go up or down depending on the atmospheric temperature, making it an unstable asset.
It seems that there are various other demi-human races in this world, but in the end, due to the well-rounded human race’s lack of any specific weakness, and also due to them being the most populous race, they are able to develop civilization and culture, and gather in large scale groups and then establish governments.
Rather than seeking to adapt to the surrounding environment, these groups are large enough to alter their surrounding environments instead.
By developing agricultural techniques, the amount of harvest can be increased. With larger harvests, society as a whole can be maintained at a larger size. This surplus of people do not also have to pursue agriculture, but are free to to pursue and stimulate development in other fields. This is the foundation for specialized jobs, such as being a career soldier or a scholar.
Consequently——the agricultural industry becomes more sophisticated, stock-farming and manufacturing arises, and more military power is accrued to protect the citizens from external enemies. The larger the community, the more affluent each individual’s lifestyle becomes, giving birth to even more surplus.
In contrast——the powerful demi-humans who prefer instead to live alongside nature can only make small-scale communities easily susceptible to natural disasters and famine and invasions by external enemies.
“And that is why humans are such a superior existence.”
So concluded Miusel.
“......But......”
I understand the logic. I understand, but——
Having this harsh reality suddenly thrust before me, I am at a loss for words.
I am indeed very familiar with the idea of discrimination against demi-humans, as it is a frequent setting in games and manga and other such.
However, I’m also very familiar with the perspective of the side being discriminated against, so when I see with my own two eyes a society in which discrimination is an accepted system......I cannot help but to feel chills about it.
The Blük who had quietly let himself be beaten.
The Miusel who had been more concerned about her “Danna-sama”s hand over her beaten colleague.
I am all too aware that the fault does not lie with either of them, but——with this complicated mood in the room, all I can do is sigh.
At that moment......
“——What are you guys doing?”
An astonished voice is raised.
When we turned around, we see Minori-san standing there.
“I didn’t see you guys, so I came looking.”
“Ah......umm.”
Seeing me looking hard-pressed for a good explanation, Minori-san continues speaking.
“After breakfast, it’ll be time for work. Matoba-san is waiting for us over at the palace.”
Volume 1 Chapter 2 Part 2
Chapter 2: An Imperial Majesty's Punch
The castle town——this, too, seems like a medieval European town that I might have seen somewhere before.
Stone paving and brick buildings. Every single house has a chimney or two sticking up prominently, some of which are belching out smoke even now. Probably their fireplace or kitchen furnace. And on the lanes, of course, there are no automobiles, but rather, several rickshaws and horse carriages coming to and fro.
No——they are similar to horse carriages, but aren’t exactly horse carriages.
Perhaps I should call them ‘bird carriages’ instead?
The car that Minori-san and I are currently riding is the same. For some reason, in this world, carriages are not pulled by horses, but by something similar to ostriches——in exchange for not being able to fly, these large birds can instead run very fast. However, instead of having long necks like the ostriches that I’m used to, these birds are round and stout, and basically look like sparrows enlarged to 2 meters in height as is.
To be it in simpler terms, they are chocobo.
Even though they looked really cute and charming on the screen, when there is a bird taller than a human within arm’s reach in reality, it is quite——scary. I feel like they might tear off my head with their beaks. They are apparently herbivores, though.
“Aren’t we going to use the car——the Light Armor?”
“I’m surprised you know our pet name for the LAV.”
Minori-san smiled wryly.
“Apparently, the hyper dimensional passageway is a pretty difficult thing to handle. Its width cannot be expanded.”
According to Minori-san——right after the discovery of the hyper dimensional passageway, they quickly brought an excavator over to dig around it, but all they got was dirt and rocks, and the passageway did not expand even when given more space.
“After all, if we get too careless with the enlargement construction work and the passageway suddenly closes as a result, then we would be very troubled. That’s why all we did was reinforce the place with concrete and resin. There is a limit to the amount that we can bring over at a time——the maximum capacity is about one truck’s worth. The LAV, too, we had to bring over in its disassembled state, and reassemble on this side. Due to this limitation, things like gasoline and other consumables are relatively scarce.”
“......Hah. I see.”
Apparently, this fact was one of the factors that led to the conversation of “commerce with otaku industry products.”
Having accepted that it is impossible to transport a large amount of goods, it is only natural for attention to turn towards data. Just by bringing in a single high efficiency copy printer, manga and light novels can be mass produced on this side, and there is much greater flexibility in bringing over paper-based goods.
As for anime, it can be made available to the public in a setup similar to a movie theater, and the only things needed would be a single projector and a screen. An amusement park can be built around it, and after also bringing in game consoles, visitors can be attracted and charged for admittance.
“Rather than that.”
Minori-san once again looks into my face and speaks clearly.
“Just in case, I will repeat myself. Do not do anything unnecessary. Do not say anything unnecessary. Understood?”
“I get it already.”
Right now——the place that we are heading towards is the Eldant Palace.
In short, just as Minori-san had already explained yesterday, it is the place where this country’s ruler lives. Like what the Imperial Palace and the Official Residence are for Japan, and like what the White House is for America, the Eldant Palace is where a ton of super VIPs are.
Furthermore, this time we are going there for an audience with the country’s Imperial Majesty——even I understand that in such a situation, any careless behavior may lead to grave consequences.
“Matoba-san actually wanted you to become more familiar with this world and its basic etiquette first before an audience, but......the Eldant Empire side insisted very strongly that they wished to see you immediately.”
“The Empire?”
“More likely their Imperial Majesty’s idea.”
So said Minori-san.
“To this day, the Eldant Empire is still in tense relations with the neighboring countries——to be more exact, border disputes on the level of small skirmishes are still happening every day. In other words, the country is in a state of perpetual war.”
“......Hah.”
I nod while looking outside through the window.
To be honest——the landscape of the town looks relatively carefree, to the degree that I can’t really see any traces of the country being at war. I wonder if it’s simply because this place is the capital. Or else is it because I simply don’t know what to look for.
“That is why they are imposing a powerful system of government centered around their Imperial Majesty. As they are in a state of war, the concentration of national power becomes a just cause. But that makes it all the easier for the ruler and any close associates to pass unreasonable decrees.”
It is quite usual for rulers to gradually go out of control when they no longer have anyone nearby to act as a stabilizer and say “no, you can’t do that” when needed. Generally, when it comes to medieval European worlds like this one——just like Miusel’s case, the citizens’ literacy rate is low, which makes it impossible for them to acquire information about their own country’s government and military matters above a certain threshold. Even if there is vague discontent against the country, the number of people who can actually put words to those opinions are extremely limited. Furthermore, the majority of such people are on the ruling side anyways.
This is a path that leads towards dictatorship, though......
“U-mu......”
When speaking of dictatorships, what comes to mind is definitely that country or that country or that country.
The first image that comes to mind is that of a middle-aged man with a sordid vibe wearing a costume that looks like working clothes who is waving his hand placidly at the masses from somewhere high up. Or perhaps......like a certain middle-aged man from WWII who had a small mustache and gave speeches in a hysterical manner.
“We’re almost there.”
So said Minori-san while retightening the necktie around her collar.
♥♦♣♠
The palace——seems like a masterpiece which no words can do justice.
Looking from afar, the size of the palace gives off an overwhelming feeling, but when seen up close, this effect feels even more intense. This is true for almost all buildings big enough to completely fill out a viewer’s line of sight, but this sense of heaviness is seriously no joke. If this was a manga, there would be a “don” SFX all over this scene.
The door opens to reveal a stone-tiled path stretching on endlessly, lined with the figures of knights in armor, knights riding birds, and knights riding dragons with folded wings. Speaking of which, Matoba-san and I are both being treated as state guests, so that explains this kind of reception.
The orderly lineup of people and things, combined with my excitement at seeing a certain race, is giving off an amazing pressure, but when the fact that everyone is fully armed is added on top of all that, the sense of intimidation is incredible.
Carrying the nervous two of us, the bird carriage pulls up alongside what looks to be a side entrance.
“Please.”
Someone who looks like a coachman opens the carriage door and respectfully prompts us.
After we nervously enter the palace——the heavy doors on our left and right shut close with a dull sound.
I’m getting the feeling that we’ve passed a point of no return.
“If this was a game, this would be the part where a mid-boss comes out, eh?”
“......You sure are relaxed.”
Minori-san smiled wryly.
“If I don’t say something silly, I can’t calm down.”
I sighed.
At that moment——
We see Matoba-san waiting for us deeper within the palace.
To his sides are, as expected, two people wearing swords who might be soldiers or knights.
“Are you wearing your magical ring?”
“Of course.”
I touch the ring finger on my left hand and nod.
Incidentally, both Matoba-san and Minori-san also have the magical ring on. Apparently, it functions not only as an interpretation machine, but also serves as a proof of identity in this Eldant Empire. Miusel was given one so that she could serve me, but normally, it is not something given to commoners of low social status.
In other words, if I lose it, instead of only worrying about not speaking the language, there is also the possibility that nobody would even talk to me no matter where I go. It is something equivalent to a lifeline for me.
“Well then, let’s head to the audience with the Imperial Majesty, shall we?”
Inside the spacious, spacious castle, we reach where Matoba-san is and continue walking together in silence.
The palace is also a building, so technically the world “indoor” applies here, but......the scale here is like that of a baseball stadium. The ceiling is high, and the hallways are wide——they’re so wide that I think a tennis court or volleyball court can fit inside. Simply by walking from one end to the other seems like it would be a really time-consuming thing to do. Without a guide, the sun would definitely set before we ever reach our destination.
Eventually——
“......Well then. This is it.”
Matoba-san stops and turns around to face us.
At the end of the hallway——there stands a double door remarkably huge for being indoors.
“From here on, we will be granted an audience with their Imperial Majesty. Any careless mistake could become an international problem. Everyone, but most of all you, Kanou-kun, be extremely careful.”
Matoba-san just casually said something really scary, didn’t he.
“Emissaries hailing from the country of Japan, three persons——have arrived!”
As the two soldiers on Matoba-san’s both sides raised their voices, the gigantic doors automatically scrape open with heavy sounds——most likely, there is some kind of mechanism installed——and reveal to us the interior of the audience chamber.
“......Oou.”
I involuntarily let my voice slip out.
The audience chamber, too, is excessively huge.
It is on a completely different dimension to what I usually associate with the word “room” or even the word “indoor.” The only places that I know of that can rival the size of this room are indoor stadiums. There is enough floor space to easily fit 4 tennis courts. In order to support this vast space, there are several thick stone pillars standing in rows.
From the appearance of this medieval European-looking palace, everything here was made with manual labor——at the very least, it was done without any of the heavy machinery that I saw being used for public works back in Japan. I get a little dizzy thinking of all the labor that must have gone into all this. Or perhaps for this parallel world, this kind of construction work might be surprisingly easy with the help of magic.
Then I turn my eyes towards the audience chamber——to its very end.
In the red-carpeted depths, there is a place especially higher than the rest of the room.
That is most likely where the throne of this Eldant Empire’s Imperial Majesty lies. On both sides of the carpet leading there, ranks of knights with swords on their waists are lined up in orderly rows. The reason why these knights’ attire is different from the guys at the castle gate and the ones who guided us earlier is most likely because these guys are the Imperial Guards, purposely tasked with the protection of the royalty.
“Kanou-kun, all you have to do is stay silent and follow our lead.”
So said Minori-san while walking next to me.
“Basically, just keep your eyes down. Also, don’t say anything unnecessary. Once we appear before their Imperial Majesty, stay silent and bow once like Matoba-san and I will do, then go down on one knee. For now, if you do that, then you won’t accidentally do anything disrespectful. Although this is a parallel world, they don’t have any really strange customs, so don’t worry about it.”
“Hah......”
I nod while feeling the focused gazes of all the Imperial Guard.
To be honest, in this situation——even without all the warnings, I won’t do anything careless. It is all too clear to me that any offense could immediately cause these knights to descend upon me and lop my head off.
Ever since a while ago, unease and nerves have been steadily enveloping me.
“Announcing!”
Once again, a knight, one close to the throne this time, formally raised his voice.
As if to match that shout, Matoba-san gets down on one knee on the carpet, and Minori-san and I imitate him. My face has been facing the ground the entire time, just as I’ve been instructed. Therefore, I still don’t know what the Imperial Majesty looks like, nor do I know what face he or she is looking down on us with.
“Emissaries hailing from the country of Japan, three persons——have arrived!”
“They have arrived!”
The knights shouted together in chorus.
“Bureau Chief of the Far East Cultural Exchange Promotion Bureau, Matoba Jinzaburou——as well as Private First Class Koganuma Minori of the WAC, together with AmuTec General Manager Kanou Shinichi. The three abovementioned have hastened over by the command of the Holy Eldant Empire’s Imperial Majesty Eldant the Third. Please grant us permission for the audience.”
Matoba-san spoke loudly and clearly.
After that——
“So you and your company are the people who have newly come to this country from a strange land.”
A voice descended upon us from above the throne.
“............?!”
I am so startled that I unconsciously raise my head, but Minori-san’s hand shoots out from beside me and quietly presses it back down. Thank you. She had most likely anticipated that I would raise my face. But if that’s the case, then they should have just told me from the start.
The voice that I’d just heard was completely different from my expectation.
High-pitched and small. Way too young.
More like——that was clearly a child’s voice.
Don’t tell me............!
“Raise your faces.”
The voice of a child gave us a command in a haughty tone.
I glance towards Minori-san for confirmation, and she gives me a small nod, so I timidly raise my face.
Upon the dais is a throne wide enough to have space leftover even if a bear sits on it.
The back of the throne and the armrests are both covered with dark red satin. There is plenty of gold leaf and silver leaf all over. From the parts not covered by cloth, detailed carvings of plants twining around each other stand in sharp relief. Even without words, the throne’s assertion of being an exquisite work of art can be heard loud and clear through the extravagant ornamentation.
As expected of a throne.
And as for the person sitting on the throne——
“LITTLE GIRL キタ————!!!!!!”
(T/N: Second time now, so I’ll leave the T/N from the first time here: キタ is read ‘kita.’ It means ‘it’s here,’ but please go Google ‘densha otoko kita’ to fully understand the feelings packed into these two simple characters.)
Before I knew it, I’ve raised both hands gripped as fists into the air, and have jumped up while shouting that line.
Indeed. Settled upon the throne——is a girl who looks like she’s in her early teens.
(T/N: Yes, I can FINALLY use pronouns for her! I’m really sorry about the slightly awkward adherence to “Imperial Majesty” before this, as I was trying to convey the author’s intention of keeping the Empress’s gender unspecified up until this point.)
She is wearing a blue dress, and her long, silver hair that is devoid of any wrinkle or curl is framing her white face. She has thin, sakura-colored lips, and her bold nose looks faintly upturned. Her large blue eyes are sparkling, while she herself keeps on fidgeting like a cat. In general, she gives off a cheeky vibe——but of course, that is what makes her cute.
Let’s speak frankly here.
Her Imperial Majesty is an extremely cute girl.
There exists a phrase “just like a doll,” and she is the very illustration of it. To be blunt, I can’t even wrap my head around the fact that she is supposed to be a human just like me. There is almost none of the earthly smell of flesh and blood coming from her. The small, golden tiara on her head only added further to her image as a “doll of a princess.”
How irresistible. If this was a manga or anime, then I would want to protest to the creator for so blatantly playing to the audience, but unfortunately, I think this is reality.
But still......
“Wh——Who is a little girl!!”
“......Hah?!”
Seeing the loli Empress’s white face flushing and her shouting loudly, I come back to my senses.
In a fluster, I look to my side, but Minori-san is just facepalming with an “oh he’s gone and done it” look on her face. I thought this is the part where the knights rush me, but——I think they’re all shocked at what just happened, because they’re all standing frozen, with dazed looks on their faces.
“I am no longer a child!”
So shouting, she jumps up with indignation, and zutatatatatata!, descends the dais with loud steps, and——before anyone else could stop her, she stops right in front of me.
After that.
“This insolent fellow!”
The next instant, the little girl Empress’s fist explodes against my face.
“Uwah?!”
I unconsciously bend backwards from a very nice straight unbefitting of her small stature.
While glaring daggers at me——her height only reaches around my chest——Her Imperial Majesty continues speaking, with anger in her voice.
“I just turned sixteen the other day! I am already a proper adult!”
“Eh? For real?”
Whichever way I look at her, she still looks like she’s in her early teens. Even if she wears a randosel, I don’t think it would look out of place on her at all. She’s small and even has a baby face——is what I almost retorted out loud, but I barely managed to avoid that slip of the tongue. It is because her Imperial Majesty had sunk a second punch into my chin.
(T/N: Randosel is the standard schoolbag for all kids in primary school. Traditionally, all kids are not allowed to use any other bag, so for the Japanese, the randosel is a symbol of primary school. More liberal schools nowadays are relaxing that convention.)
Nuu. Despite being a child, what a nice uppercut......!
“You doubt my words?!”
The Empress is shouting with tears in her eyes.
Uh-oh. Could it be that she has a complex about it?
Such thoughts are running through my mind as I topple over, face up.
Right then——
“——Your Majesty!!”
I see a jii-san with his face in a strange color running over by himself.
(T/N: Jii is ‘grandfather.’ -san is the usual prefix to indicate respect.)
“How could you do such a thing to the ambassador?!”
He is an old man wearing a robe with long sleeves. There are wrinkles all over his face, and the beard and mustache that covers his mouth is entirely white. Somehow, I think “sage” when I look at him. On second thought, for this stage, “wizard” might be more apt.
“It is because this one is saying disrespectful things!”
The loli Empress sharply turns her face away.
“Just remembering it makes me angry! Eei! You, kneel down right there! I’ll cut off your head for you! Someone, someone lend me a sword!”
“Your Majesty!!”
The old man who had rushed over is now trying to hold her arms behind her back.
“Please restrain yourself!”
“Let go, Jii! How could I be calm after having been mocked so?!”
She is wriggling around and waving both hands all about.
“Please remember, he is someone from a foreign country, and his customs are different from that of our own! His words were definitely not uttered with the intention of mockery!”
“It is exactly as he says.”
Matoba-san, who is still kneeling with one knee on the floor, spoke up to support the old man.
“In our country, one becomes an adult only after turning twenty. Therefore, everyone before that are equally considered children. His words were by no means meant to mock, but rather were an expression of how touched he felt upon beholding Your Majesty’s beautiful countenance. I beg of you, I humbly beg of you, to show mercy.”
As expected of a government official. His explanation flowed as smoothly as water does off a slope.
More like, his usual work probably involves a lot of finding the appropriate words to pull the wool over his opponents’ eyes, but it’s a secret that I’m having such thoughts.
“Mu......muu?”
Her Majesty frowns and looks my way.
“Is this true?”
“Eh? O-Of course it is, of course.”
I shake myself and quickly nod my head.
If I don’t express my agreement here, then events will naturally flow towards me seriously losing my head.
“......Mu. Mu. Mu.“
Her Imperial Majesty moans for a while, but——eventually, she looks like she’s calmed down, and she releases a short sigh and nods.
“T-......Then it’s fine!”
So said the loli ruler-sama while crossing her arms.
“The ability to let insignificant things slide is an indication of the caliber of a monarch.”
“That is indeed correct, Your Majesty.”
So said the old man while backing off a step.
Her Imperial Majesty’s steps back up the dais still sound a bit angry——when she reaches the top, she plunks her body onto the throne.
Thanks to Minori-san and the old man who had helped me, I recover and get back down on one knee on the carpet. For now, I guess we get a fresh start. The old man takes a few steps backward to take some distance from us, then nods deeply and smiles.
“Thank you for traveling here from a foreign land so far away. Kanou Shinichi-dono. The Eldant Empress, as well as her subjects, welcomes you to our empire.”
“We am honored by your generous words.”
The words were directed towards me, but it is Matoba-san who immediately answered.
Well, it was probably his way of telling me to not speak anymore. Soz.
“That girl is the Empress Petrarca An Eldant the Third. That old man is Prime Minister Zahal.”
On her knee next to me, Minori-san surreptitiously whispers in my ear.
“And also......”
She secretly points to the edge of the dais.
Taking a second look, I notice a young male knight standing there.
This young knight seems different from all the other knights. His armor is something else altogether, and I’m interested in why he’s allowed to stand at the same height as the throne. It probably means that he’s also royalty, or at least has the same standing as royalty——
“Galius An Koldbal. Serving as a knight of the Eldant Empire, he is also a distant relative of Petrarca’s. As one of the Cabinet ministers, he holds almost all of the power over diplomatic relations. Our magical rings were also issued in his name.”
In other words, he is very influential, and is someone with whom we have deep ties to.
When I take one more look at that Galius somebody——I realize that he is a picture-perfect handsome man.
As for his age, probably early twenties.
Silver hair flowing down to his waist. Slim lips. Deep intelligence shines in his long-slitted eyes, implicitly divulging the fact that he is not a simple battle maniac who cares only about physical strength.
His outfit is sheer elegance——his tall and lean body that doesn’t have even 1 milligram of unneeded muscle is wrapped up in a costume with the color white as a base. Furthermore, his handguards and shinguards are fringed with gold. Most likely, this outfit was made to emphasize showiness over usefulness in combat.
Around his waist are two belts, and from one hangs a sheathed sword decorated with beautiful patterns, the scabbard of which is fixed in place with metal clasps. The smooth, long mantle hanging down from his shoulders is almost touching the floor.
Unlike the other Imperial Guard, what he is wearing is not really armor——his appearance gives off a feeling exactly like that of a conventional hero knight straight out of a heroic saga.
“......Umm. Minori-san.”
“Quiet.”
“That Galius person, for some reason he’s been staring at me for a while now.”
I am acutely aware of the fixed gaze that is pointed not at Matoba-san nor Minori-san, but me——it’s a bit scary. But then again, as he is a close aide of Her Imperial Majesty, he’s most likely still mad at me for suddenly calling Her Majesty a little girl.
“Just remain quiet for now. Accidentally having another outburst again is a big no-no.”
“......Understood.”
Her voice sounded like she’s still feeling a bit sulky.
When I return my gaze to the throne, Her Majesty——Petrarca is looking down at me.
“Having heard that an evangelist had arrived, I was wondering what kind of fellow he would be, but this one is still a child!”
I really want to return those words right back to her, but I still have reason enough to exercise self-restraint on myself before those words pass my throat.
The other party is an Empress, and any careless comments might indeed bring danger to myself. However, my main reason is because I simply don’t want to say something that I know would hurt the other party.
This Imperial Empress is apparently quite distressed over the fact that her appearance makes her look younger than her actual age. I, too, have been on the receiving end of unpleasant words used to carelessly sum up the entirety of another person.
“As you have beheld, there might be a few peculiarities in his behavior, but——he is a person well-versed in the “otaku culture” that you seek, and the breadth and depth of his knowledge can make your eyes open in amazement. He will surely be of help in relieving Your Majesty of your boredom.”
So spoke Matoba-san in mediation.
“Hou. Is that so?”
Petrarca leans forward on her throne.
It seems that Her Majesty has acquired quite an interest in otaku culture.
Furthermore——
“Among those excelling in scholarship or in the performing arts, there are many with peculiarities——is this the same in that country of yours also?”
So said Prime Minister Zahal as a follow-up to Matoba-san’s words. The way he worded himself is a very favorable interpretation. Most likely, this jii-san is an advocate of the exchange with Japan. We are very thankful for his follow-ups and good teamplay with Matoba-san.
“I, for one, am not so sure.”
Having remained stiffly silent the whole time, the knight Galius opened his mouth and spoke in a leaden manner.
“It seems to me that Zahal-jii is interpreting things in a favorable light, but I have not yet decided to trust you people. Our side still does not fully understand what “otaku culture” entails exactly, but if it is something that can be mastered by someone as young as he, then I find it doubtful whether it can truly bring conducive change to Eldant.”
Thorns can be felt from every word of his diatribe.
It is blatantly obvious that he does not think pleasantly of Japanese people.
“If we carelessly let it in and only find out afterwards that it is a harmful poison, then it would be too late to undo its effects.”
Galius’s voice is loaded with wariness.
The same blue eyes as Petrarca’s is piercing me with a stare.
I feel cold sweat pouring out from all over my body.
Despite that——
“......Harmful. Harmful, you say?”
My moan was almost completely instinctive.
This is bad.
Even though I know that, I can’t stop myself.
What Galius said was right. It was a sound argument. Unknown things brought in by foreign parties are not necessarily good. As for the topic in question here, “otaku culture,” those who conclude that it is “harmful” without any hesitation——self-styled experts, university professors, politicians, critics, human rights protection groups, and a variety of others——there are many of them in our own world also.
Despite that——
“Even medicine can be a poison when taken in a large dosage.”
I feel Minori-san looking at me in startlement from my side.
But after having opened my mouth, I can no longer stop myself.
“Even poison can be a medicine when taken in a small dosage. That’s how things are. There are no clear lines indicating whether anything would turn out harmful or harmless. Being able to make these sorts of decisions is what it means to be an adult, someone who can take responsibility for themselves. There is absolutely no relationship to one’s age.”
I am willing to admit that I am a youngster.
I am also willing to admit that I am a fool.
However, I cannot forgive someone who would judge my beloved manga and anime and game and light novels as “harmful” or “vulgar” or “childish” without knowing their contents. Even if this is a parallel world, or even if the other party is a person of power. At the end of the day, being the hopeless otaku that I am, that is the only line that I will never back off from.
“............”
Galius has one eyebrow raised in surprise......for a brief moment, the entire place is filled with tension.
The heavy, strained air flows throughout the audience chamber.
I feel Matoba-san looking at me with surprise.
Most likely, that Galius person is someone with a lot more power in this country than I had thought. Enough so that no one ever opposes him. The reason why I was able to argue against him is because I don’t fully know about that sort of thing. If I knew the existent power relationships like I was supposed to, I would probably have been too afraid to advocate a different opinion from his.
But it is way too late to realize that sort of thing at this point in time.
And then——
“Fu............”
What broke the frozen atmosphere was a young girl’s laughter.
“Fuhaha......hahahahahahahahaha!”
Bursting forth as if she could hold it in no longer, Her Majesty Petrarca’s laughter rings across the audience chamber.
“Interesting! Truly interesting, Kanou Shinichi!”
“......Eh?”
Never in my wildest imagination did I expect her to react in such a way, so I whipped around to face her, with my eyes round with surprise. Looking like she’d just heard something extremely funny, she is slapping the arms of her throne repeatedly. She then speaks with a smile.
“To think that you would raise a rebuttal against Galius!”
“Your Majesty——”
Prime Minister Zahal and Cabinet minister Galius raise perplexed voices, but she ignores them and grandly proclaims:
“I am pleased! I, Petrarca An Eldant the Third, shall personally grant full permission for the activities of your AmuTec! You may do as you please!”
“Ah......”
For a second, I simply look up at this baby-faced Empress in a daze.
Immediately afterwards——while feeling a little triumphant, I flourish a bow like the ones you see at theatrical plays.
“We are ever so thankful.”
I responded with a little bit of a self-satisfied look on my face.
Volume 1 Chapter 2 Part 3
Chapter 2: An Imperial Majesty's Punch
Volume 1 Chapter 2 Part 3
Chapter 2: An Imperial Majesty's Punch
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can grab the PDF here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
——I am so tired.
For now, that is all I have to say.
After finishing the conference with the Eldant Empire’s Empress Petrarca and her aides——to be honest, it was more of a meet-and-greet——we got back onto the bird carriage that had carried us here, and are currently going back to my “boarding house” together.
In other words, the house where Miusel and Blük are waiting.
“......You sure gave me the chills.”
The person who said that with a wry face was Minori-san, who is sitting right beside me.
“All because you back talked to that Lord Koldbal all of a sudden.”
“Please don’t remind me. I am profoundly regretting it right now.”
My shoulders are completely drained of strength.
At the time, I couldn’t help myself and had simply snapped, but......depending on the situation, he might have gotten even more enraged and it would not have been strange for him to sentence me to death. As Petrarca is still a child, there is no doubt that the real power of the country is being held by that knight Galius and Prime Minister Zahal and the other adults in their circles. To be honest, I am still unaware of exactly how much power they hold and the extent of what they can make happen.
Even though we are being treated as ambassadors of a foreign country, this place is still the Eldant Empire. If they really wanted to, they could make up any reason they wished to kill us for.
The moment I fully realized this——rivers of cold sweat ran down my back.
“He just continued staring at me the entire rest of the time......”
I spoke in almost a moan.
Up to the very moment when we left the audience chamber, Galius’s eyes never left me for a moment. His expression had been calm, but......it felt to me like his stare was stabbing into me, and it made me extremely uncomfortable.
“He sure did.”
Minori-san nodded.
“It seems like he’s taken quite a fancy to you, Shinichi-kun.”
“......Hah?”
I frowned and raised my voice in doubt.
“How come? I’d understand if he took a dislike to me and started to detest me.”
“But somehow, there was a strange sort of heat in his gaze, wasn’t there?”
“It did, but......”
I had attributed that heat to anger, though.
“Most likely, there has been no one like Shinichi-kun in his life so far, so the exchange must have felt quite fresh to him......”
“What are you......
What are you getting at——is what I wanted to ask, but I understood before I finished asking.
It is something that I sort of regret understanding.
“......Wait, don’t tell me......”
In manga and anime and light novels and games, there are many stories in which the line “they have never met anyone like that before” is a flag for a certain kind of love......in other words, it is a common trigger for someone to fall in love with someone else. Well, it’s true that someone fresh would seem attractive, and those emotions can naturally develop into romantic feelings, but——
“......Minori-san.”
I stare at Minori-san with reproachful eyes.
From among the people around me, this person is near the better end of the spectrum. More like, she’s the first person who I should rely on. ‘Should’ being the operative word here. But I’m starting to feel slight qualms about that.
“Minori-san, are you possibly a fu......”
“Whatever are you talking about......?”
This WAC tried to cover up my words with her own while playing dumb.
No good. This person is rotten. Isn’t this too soon——
——or not. As I’d thought. Minori-san has apparently been a fujoshi from the start, and is completely in the midst of fermentation.
There is a genre centered around gay relationships between handsome men that is called “yaoi,” and the girls who are fond of that genre are called “fujoshi.”
(T/N: The word for fujoshi is made up of fu, which means ‘rotten,’ and joshi, which means 'girl.' That’s why Shinichi says she’s rotten. Not because she’s a terrible person, but because she’s a fujoshi. So, fermentation means she’s way beyond just being rotten.)
From what I’ve heard, these fujoshi have pretty remarkable imaginations
For them, material is not limited to only human guys, but also includes anthropomorphizations of countries and buildings and trains and whatever have you. Furthermore, they can also instantaneously decide on which side is the seme (the male role) and which side is the uke (the female role), after which they start panting from their own imaginations. For such fujoshi, interpreting the unending stare that a young, handsome, male knight directed towards me in a sexual way, even if the gaze is actually filled with anger or contempt, is a mere walk in the park.
“Please spare me from imaginations towards strange directions.”
“I don’t think it was my imagination......according to rumors, the knight Galius swings that way from the start, which was a strong reason for why he was allowed to become one of Her Majesty’s close aides.”
“Eh? Ah——could it be......”
A person of the opposite gender in a position so close to a girl of marriageable age.
Between people close to each other both in public and in private, it is especially easier for romantic love to blossom. However, when the two are both powerful people, then things can get troublesome. One merely has to peruse our world’s history to find clear examples of this.
Therefore, the “clearly over as a man” Prime Minister Zahal and the “not interested in girls” Cabinet minister Galius were able to firmly establish themselves as Petrarca’s left and right hand men. It is a very natural and easy-to-understand composition.
“Generally, throughout history, homosexual love has been relatively common, you know.”
So said Minori-san.
Somewhere deep behind Minori-san’s glasses, I see glitters of a weird anticipation. It’s very troublesome for me.
“I already knew that, but regardless, I have absolutely no interest in that direction!”
To be honest, I am a relatively conservative otaku who can’t even handle trap characters——male characters crossdressing with female clothing.
For the briefest of moments, I imagine myself in a “rosey” relationship with the knight Galius, then I sigh. More like, I think I felt my gastric juices backflowing along with that sigh.
(T/N: More fujoshi trivia. Roses are the symbol of the whole yaoi genre, so the word here is not “rosy,” which means “bright/promising,” but “rosey,” which is a word I just made up which means “with lots of roses.”)
“So......”
For now, I forcibly change the topic of conversation.
“I suppose this means the royal audience part is over and done with. So, what specifically am I supposed to do for this job?”
All the talk about spreading otaku culture in a parallel world seems too vague, and I can’t see the goal at all.
“Nn—......”
Matoba-san, who is sitting across from us with his back to the coachman, tilts his head. When we headed to the Eldant Palace, he was already there before us, but it was because he was there to make the necessary arrangements to ensure a smooth audience. Where he is actually staying at is, apparently, the mansion, which is currently serving as both AmuTec’s employee dorm and company head office. In other words, he is currently going back together with us.
“——Koganuma-kun.”
“Yes?”
Matoba-san and Minori-san both look at each other.
At the same time, they remove their magical rings——then they look at me.
Those looks seem to be urging me to do something.
“............”
Are they telling me to take off my ring too?
In the first place, we can communicate with each other just fine even without the rings, so there’s no problem with taking them off. Thinking about it, not taking them off might actually cause problems instead——
(Oh right. The coachman.)
They probably don’t want the coachman from the Eldant Empire side to hear what we’ll be talking about.
What is with this dangerous atmosphere?
But then again, there’s no point in me digging in my feet here. I take off my ring and make sure that they see me putting it into my pocket.
“Thank you. After all, it’s not wise to let the Eldant side know our full position. Of course, that includes the fact that we have no cards at all in our hand.”
So said Matoba-san.
No, wait a second. Did this guy just casually say something of extreme importance?!
“Frankly speaking, even we have no idea.”
“Wai-......What on earth does that mean?!”
After being dragged all around the place, now I only get a “we don’t know”?!
Lowering the ends of his eyebrows with a troubled face, Matoba-san continues.
“We have a clear idea of the goal that we’re aiming for, but the methods to be employed towards that goal have not been decided, so we’re kind of being driven into a corner. After all, there has been no precedent.”
“............”
Here it is. Government officials and their overdependence on manuals.
Well, it’s not like I don’t see where they’re coming from, but this is a very intractable position for me to be in.
“I believe I’ve said this before. No matter what, we also start from the appearances. So we write up the laws, we set up the organization, we buy the land, we secure the budget, then we just have continuous meetings about what to do next. This is the model timeline for most pubic works projects.”
“Please don’t say it like you’re bragging about it.”
“This is self-mockery. Anyhow, it is because we are self-aware about this, that we decided at the beginning stages of the project that it is better to not do anything unnecessary. In actuality, the traditional arts that we tried to introduce were not received favorably.”
Matoba-san shrugged his shoulders.
According to what he said after that, this “Far East Cultural Exchange Promotion Bureau” was created because the government didn’t know what to do with the question of a parallel world and needed an entity to shove all the responsibility onto.
It stands to reason.
If this was a project with the full weight of the government behind it, then there is no way that someone like me would get hired for it.
Exchange with a parallel world is a situation that the country of Japan has never confronted before. No. Strictly speaking, I believe it is a situation that has never confronted before in the entire history of the human race. Originally, this would have called for a grand announcement so that this situation can be tackled together as a collaborative effort with foreign countries.
But apparently, the Japanese government is thinking of on monopolizing this “exchange with a parallel world.”
If exchange with this “parallel world” goes well, there is the possibility that the Japanese government could pay back, in one go, the tremendous national debt that had accumulated over repeated seasons of deficits. Ever since the past, international commerce has always been the best method to enrich a country. There are those who assert that the success of Dubai, which is now famous for its rapid economical growth, is in part due to it properly maintaining its harbors, as motivated by its understanding of the importance of maritime trade.
However, if the existence of this “parallel world” is accidentally publicized, other countries would most likely find all sorts of faults with Japan to allow themselves a foothold in.
If that happens, then Japan’s “slice of the pie,” as it were, would become only one among several, one among tens, or perhaps even one among more than a hundred.
Either way, “we could possibly profit greatly from this so we cannot just leave it alone” so “if possible, we want Japan to monopolize it and not let the other countries know about it” are the decisions that were made.
And yet......the current government is a certain political party that had been on the opposition party side up till last year.
This being the first time they’re in power, these politicians have yet to fully understand the current state of the government. Bureaucrats being bureaucrats, all they’re doing is order absurd system reforms and budget reallocations, causing utter pandemonium. In such a state, there is no way that they have the spare energy nor time nor money to properly handle the incomprehensible issue of a parallel world.
In the end, the Far East Cultural Exchange Promotion Bureau, with limited authority and budget and personnel, must explore for a way to establish commerce with the Eldant Empire by itself——it’s a terrible situation all in all.
“Your job is, in short, to manage AmuTec, which has already been established here for the purpose of cultural exchange with this world. With that said, however, I will take care of all the documentation and routine tasks and duties, as well as the various negotiations with the Eldant Empire. What is expected of you is to bring over and sell entertainment works that the people of this world, be they citizens of the Eldant Empire or even people of other countries, can become passionate about. That is all you have to do.”
I already knew all that.
It’s just that the scope of the conversation is so large that I’m at a complete loss.
“Regardless of how much of an otaku I am, I am not a proper critic, nor am I a pro in the sales industry, nor am I a creator. You know that, right?”
“Well, to be blunt, part of our attitude in hiring you was ‘let’s give this guy a try as we have nothing to lose.’”
Matoba-san readily acknowledged it.
Well, as the annoying stuff is being shoved all around, and as the project itself is top-secret, there won’t be anyone reproaching or criticizing us for small mistakes here and there. Other government officials would be leery of commenting, for fear of being told “oh, then we can leave this project in your more capable hands.” The citizens, well, what they don’t know about, they can’t complain about. So, to some degree, we can take things at a rather carefree pace, according to Matoba-san.
“There is no need for you to think too deeply about it. Continue bringing in more and more of what you like and what you find interesting, and all will be well.”
“......U-n.”
Even if I’m told that, I’m still not sure exactly where to begin.
More like——
“This magical ring.”
I took out my own from my pocket.
“Putting this on still won’t enable the wearer to read written Japanese, am I right?”
“So it seems.”
Matoba-san nodded.
“This is apparently some sort of telepathic equipment.”
“......Ahh. I see.”
In other words, it is not that “words are getting through.” In actuality......we are speaking in Japanese, while Miusel and the others are speaking in the language here. The reason why we can understand each other is apparently because it is our thoughts, and not our words, that are being transmitted.
“But if that’s the case, then games and anime are completely out, right?”
If mutual understanding is happening due to telepathy, then it wouldn’t work if one side is a machine without a mind. In other words, if I play anime DVDs, because the DVD player doesn’t have a mind, Miusel and the rest wouldn’t be able to understand it.
“I see. That is indeed a problem.”
“In the first place, didn’t you say that their reception to anime was pretty good?”
If I remember correctly, he had told me that among the several kinds of Japanese culture introduced, it was otaku culture that was the best received.
“You are indeed right, but......Isn’t anime relatively easy to understand even without the lines?”
“Anime is hardly children TV shows. There are anime that go into philosophical debates in the middle of war, you know.”
Like Gundam, for example.
“Well, it is still true that among the several things that we brought to them, they showed the most interest in anime.”
Originally, the concept of movies did not exist in this world. Therefore, it is only natural that their interest would be perked when shown “moving pictures.” Even if they didn’t fully understand the content of the anime, the beautiful art and the cute characters were attractive enough in their own right.
“Even manga and light novels would be rather impossible. I believe the literacy rate here is quite low, isn’t it? How can we tell them to read the works from a foreign country? What resources and personnel do we have for translating?”
“It’s proving to be a challenge.”
Matoba-san shook his head with a troubled expression on his face.
“For now, because communication is possible thanks to these magical rings, translating has been put on the back burner. There would be a lot of problems if a famous linguistic professor disappears out of the blue, after all.”
“............”
Yea, yea. A former home security guard youngster disappearing out of the blue would cause no problems, no need to rub it in.
“Even so, to make any progress at all, we must secure a translator before anything else.”
“U-mu......”
Matoba-san groaned in response to my words.
I feel like we are seriously lacking in both budget and human capital.
The completely indiscernible future is, as can be expected, only giving me a sense of unease.
♥♦♣♠
“............”
After opening my eyelids, I stir from my laid down position and sit up on my bed.
The inside of the room is as dark as if ink had been poured in. It is because the sun has set quite a time ago.
However, I am having a bit of trouble falling asleep. Part of it is due to the audience in the afternoon having been too stimulating for me. The other part is that when I think back on various things, I keep getting cold sweat. Either way, I can’t calm down at all.
“......Might as well go grab some water, I guess.”
Stretching out my hand towards the chest right beside the unnecessarily large bed, I grope for a small article that had been placed on top. Grasping an antique made of shakudo forged in the shape of a hanging bell flower, I use a weakly curled fingertip to give the hanging bell part a light flick.
(T/N: Shakudo is a gold/copper alloy, typically 4-10% gold, rest copper.)
At once......accompanied by a quiet whoosh, a flickering flame comes to life inside the hanging bell, gently pushing back the surrounding darkness.
This is a kind of magical tool that gives off light for a while after receiving a small physical jolt. It is apparently a very common lightning tool here in Eldant. A spirit of light has been locked up inside or something like that.
Speaking of which, even in our world, there are sea-fireflies. If you put those into a cup and shake it, they’ll get surprised and give off very bright light. The logic is probably the same, with the only difference being that spirits are used here instead of plankton.
“I’m sorry.”
After apologizing to the spirit or spirits inside, I let down my feet from the bed, wear my shoes, and start walking while using the light to illuminate my path.
I go down to the first floor, and go through the dining room.
Where I’m heading towards is the kitchen deeper within. According to Minori-san, in this world with neither water treatment facilities nor waterworks, every single cup of water must be boiled for purification. Supposedly, water that had been drawn normally would start to spoil if left alone for three days——
“......?”
All of a sudden, my feet stop.
The reason is because I’ve noticed light spilling out from the door gap.
I frown while musing over who it would be this late in the night——but there’s no point in only thinking about it, so I take the metal doorknob in my hand and push the door open.
The entirety of the kitchen is made with bricks. The room stretches to the left and right, and the floor is completely covered with ceramic tiles. At one end of the room is the kitchen counter. Of course, there is no gas stove. Instead, there is what looks to be a kitchen hearth with a large pot hung above it.
In the middle of the room is a table made of wood. At its edge are kitchen knives and chopping boards and other tools. It is probably the place where all the pre-cooking preparation is done.
And at that table......
“Danna-sama?!”
......Miusel is sitting there.
She had turned around while looking quite startled.
“This late at night......has something happened?”
“Not really. I just wanted to drink some water.”
“I would have brought it up if you’d only called for me. I will prepare it immediately.”
“No, no, no.”
I raise a hand to stop Miusel, who is in a fluster and was about to rise from her chair.
“I’m not really that thirsty at the moment, and I thought you’d already gone to sleep already. Rather than that, what were you doing?”
Thinking that perhaps she’s doing the preparations for tomorrow’s breakfast——I look towards the table, but all the cooking implements have been pushed to the side, and in their place are a pen and a sheet of paper that I recognize.
It is the hiragana table that I had given Miusel.
“Eh. Could it be......you were studying?”
Looks like I’d hit the bull’s-eye.
As if an embarrassing part of her has been seen, Miusel’s face turns slightly red and looks downward.
“As Danna-sama had deigned to give this to me......”
Her gesture seems so innocent that my heart is going doki doki!——but let’s leave that aside for now.
When I look at the other piece of paper to the side, I see hiragana transcribed densely on it. The number of characters on that other paper is not normal at all. Most likely, this girl is literally being sparing with her sleep for the sake of studying.
“Staying up late is bad for your body. It’s already late, so how about you continue tomorrow?”
“The majority of my day is occupied with work. Furthermore, this is something that Danna-sama had seen fit to give me, so......I really want to learn it.”
Uwah. Why would this girl say something like that with upturned eyes. Is she trying to moe me to death?
But when I give it a second thought——during almost all my waking hours, Miusel is close by and serving me in all sorts of ways. There is cooking and cleaning and laundry and miscellaneous tasks. I had the understanding that this is what maids do, so I hadn’t thought much of it, but it’s normally impossible for a single person to maintain an entire mansion. Blük seems mostly in charge of the outdoors too.
Apparently, the time when Miusel can be free to do whatever she wants is extremely limited.
Knowing that she is devoting her precious time to study, my chest now feels a bit hot.
(T/N: ‘Hot’ in a “passionate teacher” sort of way, as her motivation and diligence makes her “worth teaching.”)
“In that case, then I’ll accompany you.”
Pulling out the chair next to Miusel, I sit down.
“N-, no, how coul-! For Danna-sama to give up precious sleep time to help me study, such a thing......”
Miusel furiously shakes her head in a very obliged manner.
However, I lightly tap the chair that Miusel had been sitting in earlier, indicating for her to sit back down.
“I’m now wide awake anyways. Come on, take a seat.”
“But......is this truly alright? It would already be more than I can hope for if I can receive your guidance only when you’re not busy!”
“No. For this sort of thing, being reserved would only make it really hard for me to stay......”
I laugh wryly with the ends of my eyebrows drawn downwards, but——for a moment, I see a perplexed expression on Miusel’s face as she blinks a few times.
She looks like she doesn’t know what to do.
Was what I said really that strange?
“......Danna-sama is...”
Slowly, a smile blooms on Miusel’s white face.
Just like how a flower blooms——might be a bit of an old way of putting it, but that is how it truly looks to me. Her usual clumsy and hesitant self is also really cute, but it is cute the way a bud is cute, and is not all of what this girl has.
Ah seriously, this girl is just way too cute!!
Furthermore......
“...a slightly unusual person.”
......she even went and said something like that.
Seriously, if this is a game, then that’s definitely a flag! What? I’m already very close to the Good End with this girl?! Choices, where are my choices?!
(T/N: As in, so that he can choose the choice that brings him to the Good End. He’s not trying to opt out of this situation.)
And other such agitation is sweeping throughout my brain, but I do my best to suppress it and not let it show on my face.
“Is, is that so?”
“Yes. Only a tiny bit eccentric.”
Oh man, those words are making me so itchy with embarrassment!
Miusel plops herself down on the seat next to mine, and gives me a slightly bashful smile.
“Well then......may I truly take you up on your offer?”
“If you’re fine with someone like me, I’d be glad to be of service whenever you wish.”
Captivated by her, I gave a slightly theatrical and pompous answer.
Oh no, did I try too hard to show off? Feeling uneasy at doing something I’m not used to, I sneak a peek at Miusel. However, the half-elf girl is pouring an enthusiastic gaze towards the hiragana table, with a somewhat delighted expression on her face.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login